 Helping Paws Internationaltm/sm
is a non-profit,
pet assisted therapy organization based in Raleigh, North Carolina. We
are composed of members along with their therapy
or assistance dogs.
Our purpose is to assist healthcare as well as other facilities and
individuals to
improve
the quality of life for patients and staff by providing therapeutic
pet-human
interaction.
We
believe there
is no greater therapy than the love of a pet and the compassionate
understanding
of another human being.
Helping
Paws Internationaltm was
started in September 2000 following a discussion among a
few
greyhound owners about pet therapy and what wonderful pet therapists
our
gentle, loving rescued greyhounds would make. After contacting Pat
Bleich
of Greyt Therapy in Greensboro, NC, a division of Greyhound Friends of
North Carolina, the necessary information was gathered on starting a
pet
assisted therapy program. Our deepest appreciation goes to Pat Bleich
and
the Greyt Therapy group for their help in getting our group started and
for their continued support. www.greyhoundfriends.com
While
the majority of
our current pet therapists are rescued racing greyhounds, we do accept
all breeds of dogs, greater than one year in age into our program. We
have
a training program that culminates in the dogs receiving their AKC
Canine
Good Citizenship certification and their Helping Paws Therapy Dog
certification.
In addition, there are plans to add other types of pets to our program
at a later date.
Helping
Paws Internationaltm/sm
is a
non-profit organization. We do not charge to visit a
facility.
Our funding comes from membership dues, fundraisers, donations and
corporate
sponsors. The funds are used to provide insurance, training and
supplies
for our members and their pets such as small holiday surprises for the
facilities we visit on a regular basis.
In 2005 we started
training assistance dogs by helping people train their family dog to
assist a
family member with certain daily tasks. Our
assistance dog teams initially take the Helping Paws
CGC-Therapy Dog
certification program as their base training. Following completion of
this this
initial training, the assistance dog teams will have additional
training
focused on the skills needed by the handler. The
assistance dog training is based on the
availability of our trainers.
Click on
above logo for BARKS information!
Helping Paws
Internationaltm/sm also
offers a canine reading assistance program to local schools,
libraries, and
adults needing to learn to read and speak again. The
program, called B.A.R.K.S. © (Bonding,
Animals, Reading,
Kids, and Safety) is a
therapy animal reading-assistance program to help children & adults
develop a
love for reading, over-come learning problems and build
self-esteem. The program also teaches pet safety and care,
along with interpersonal communication skills.
If you
are interested
in joining Helping Paws Internationaltm/sm,
having us visit your facility or just need
more
information, please check our contact page.
|
Internationaltm/sm
copyright
2000-2008 helping paws international all rights reserved